Earth

4,432 years since initial death
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It was hard to describe the horrors he had experienced before this point.

Whitechapel, London had left him broken, to a point where he couldn't even stand to look at himself. He killed those women, every single one of them with his bare hands. The image of his last victim remained in his head ever since, the number of times he had slashed her face, and the rest of her body.

He didn't deserve to live, but as expected, nothing could be done to prevent that. Despite his best attempts, nothing worked. He would have to live with these memories for the rest of his life, if it'll ever end.

After ten years, he finally felt stable enough to leave the stone watchtower and return to society. He never touched a single drop of alcohol again, completely avoiding his random blackouts and unconscious actions. His sanity somewhat returned to him, just enough for him to feel comfortable again. But he needed a new name, as Michael had now haunted his mind and reminded him of the murders. So he settled on Matthew, a name he felt was appropriate and fitting for him.

Nothing seemed to satisfy him anymore. Wherever he went, whatever he did; he remained unchanged. He traveled alone, searching for any adventure to restore his happiness. It all ended in disaster. There simply wasn't a way for him to relive his happiest memories.

He traveled south to Italy and visited both Venice and Florence. There, he remembered Livia and Kara. Somewhere here, he has a relative, or at least that's what he thought. The last time he ever saw Kara, she had two children by her side. As long as they lived their lives happily and continued their bloodline, it means he's probably a centuries old grandfather to someone here.

But he didn't look into it. Rather, he left the country after visiting the ruins of Pompeii. His next destination was Madrid in Spain. Instead of fire and stacks of infested corpses, he was met with a beautiful city that had grown far larger than he ever could have imagined.

Afterwards, he reached France. Most specifically, Orléans. There was one specific part of the city he wanted to see. Place du Martroi. In the center of it all was a large statue depicting a woman riding a horse with her sword drawn. Joan of Arc. He stared at the statue, remembering the time he had fought her. A part of him wondered what would have happened if he had won, but he remained thankful that he lost.

Bidding the fair maiden and savior of Orléans goodbye, he returned to England. A horse ride around Cadbury reminded him of one of the happiest moments of his life. He wondered what Arthur would think of him if he was alive. Knowing him, he'd be impressed and jealous of his mastered skills in combat. But he would have reassured him about everything else.

There were so many more places Matthew wanted to revisit, one of which was America. Unfortunately, he never actually made it across the Atlantic. Instead, he was left shipwrecked amongst other survivors. He was rescued and taken back to England, where he was on the verge of giving up.

He wanted to go into isolation once more, but he couldn't. It wasn't going to help him any longer. He was nothing but a shell of his former self, a broken soul. In a twisted turn of hope, he realized that he couldn't live his life this way anymore. What happened in the past is over, he had to focus on the future.

It came at a perfect time when news of war began to escalate. But the number of countries and nations getting involved was far too great for an ordinary war. This was different. It was the largest conflict in history so far, with over thirty different nations declaring war and taking sides.

Some called it 'The War to End All Wars'. Upon hearing that, Matthew finally laughed for the first time since London. He knew there was no such thing, war is mainly a common hobby for the human race. There will always be a war to fight. As usual, he would find himself getting involved in it.

At first, he sided with the allied forces, fighting in the British army. He learned how to operate a machine gun, more specifically, the Lewis Mk 1. It could fire five to six hundred rounds per minute, something he found hard to believe. His heart remained with the classic bow and arrow, but even he had to admit that this was something else. He tried to imagine a bow that could fire hundreds of arrows per minute; it would have been a weapon of mass destruction.

Despite the terrible thoughts about warfare and destruction, he couldn't resist the temptation the gun had given him. Often taking it out and firing every single round into the air or distance, just for the satisfaction alone. But he had to stop quickly, as he still needed to consider ammunition. He can't let this turn into another situation like what had happened back on Bunker Hill in the Revolutionary War.

Eventually, the years passed. The Great War continued, Italy sided with the allies and turned against the Germans and Austrians. Upon these turn of events, he took the opportunity to join them. It was more convenient anyways, considering his plane had crashed in Italy after a previous battle.

Stranded and with no way to return to his home base, he walked until he reached civilization, eventually joining the Italian army and receiving new weaponry and uniforms. He even changed his name, Matteo Settini. It was fitting to keep his surname, considering the circumstance he was in.

Now the war has reached what many believed to be the end, with Italy holding one of the heaviest pillars of defense in the vast mountain peaks of Monte Grappa. After almost a year of the Austrians and Germans attempting to take control, the fight over this area escalated.

Caves were constructed underneath the giant rocks, artillery was formed over the valleys, any isolated structures and homes were completely fortified and barricaded. The Italian defense was remarkable, practically impenetrable. Matteo helped them push the enemy back on multiple occasions, and now it seemed the Austrian-Hungarians were willing to hold one final attempt to push the allies back.

After spending most of the war on the ground, either acting as infantry or support in the armored tanks, he was finally able to fight from the skies. He was assigned a gunner, and during the most important battle of the region, it was finally time. Strafing runs were difficult to pull off, but he quickly mastered it. Mowing down several of the Central Power's offensives and infantry all in one run.

But a happy landing isn't what he received. He had hoped to survive the battle, but was eventually taken down. Crashing into the side of the vast mountain range, his plane was left as a fiery wreckage. He was still awaiting regeneration by the time a figure approached and dragged him out of there.

Upon finally regaining consciousness, Matteo opened his eyes and found himself lying on a small worn out mattress. A few candles lit up the room, the bedside table had a cup of water. Sitting next to him was the woman that had rescued him. Her brown eyes and long, light red colored hair still remained nearly identical to how he had last seen them.

She was someone he couldn't recognize, but she knew exactly who he was, and who he still is. She used to be with him every step of the way, through their best and worst moments in life. After so long, she had found him. However, he couldn't remember her.

Matteo tried to speak, but she spoke up first. "You're finally awake, for a moment I thought your immortality had ended."

His eyes widened. With his strength restored, he shuffled back in shock. Nobody could know the truth behind his eternal life, he's never mentioned it to anyone in countless of years. There were only a few moments in life when he's revealed it, but it was done hundreds of years ago. Yet, he couldn't muster any word in response. Finally, he managed to talk. "Excuse me?"

"You may still be in shock from the crash, but it's alright Milton. That is, I'm sorry, was your name; correct?" She used one of his past names, she was dead serious about knowing him.

"Who the hell are you?" Her face looked familiar, and he had an idea of who she may be, but was afraid to mention it. This was a moment that he never imagined would have ever come true. Was he dreaming this? Or perhaps he's finally dead for good this time, putting an end to his misery?

Instead, she slightly formed a frown. "Milton, how could you not remember me? I know it's been centuries, but I loved you. I still do, even after everything that had happened to us. Even after Madrid."

Madrid. Milton. It was all adding up. The realization finally caught up to him. He knew she looked familiar. Despite how impossible this may seemed, it truly was her. "Vio..."

"Valerie." She finished it for him. But it's not the answer he was expecting.

"Valerie?" Matteo raised an eyebrow and shrugged his shoulders. "I'm sorry, do I know you?"

"It's a newer name I've adapted. I'm sure you're familiar with Violet however." Her smile appeared.

She tried to reach out with her hand, hoping to connect with him for the first time in ages. Feeling his hand, she grasped him with all her might. Her affection towards him was clear, even her expression seemed so lustful.

Matteo on the other hand was speechless, staring back at her with confusion in his eyes. Somehow, he just couldn't feel it.

"Milton?" Valerie called out to him softly. "You look nervous."

Unable to mutter a single word in response, he continued to look back with his jaw dropped ever so slightly.

The number of thoughts that rushed throughout his head were countless.

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Historical Notes:

There are over 30 different events that contributed to the start of WWI. Most notably, the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand is known as the spark that started the war. However, other major events such as the German invasion in Belgium caused Britain to join the war, and European rivalries over territories and alliances formed an outbreak in tensions.

Lewis Mk1 light machine gun

WWI marked an end to empires and brought forth the beginning of new political, economic and social orders in not just Europe, but the rest of the world in due time.

As a result of the war, significant cultural and artistic developments were made as modernism and expressionism evolved. Europe at this time overall saw great improvements to industrialization, nationalism, and imperialism.

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